Jean Baptiste Lamy

Lamy, Jean Baptiste (zhäN bätēstˈ lämēˈ) [key], 1814–88, Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S. Southwest, b. France. He was ordained in 1838 and, after doing missionary work in S Ohio, was sent to New Mexico in 1850 as vicar apostolic. In 1852 he was responsible for the establishment of the first school for teaching English in Santa Fe, and he brought nuns and priests from France and the eastern states to establish other schools. Created bishop in 1853 and archbishop in 1875, he worked tirelessly until 1885 in his vast region, which included, in addition to present-day New Mexico, most of Arizona and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Willa Cather's novel Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) is based on his career.